Mateo Kovacic has revealed that Eden Hazard has asked him how things are at Real Madrid amid speculation over his future with Chelsea.
The 27-year-old has been strongly linked with a move to Real Madrid in the summer with his contract at Chelsea set to expire in 2020.
Although Chelsea are desperate to keep Hazard beyond then and are prepared to make him their highest paid player in history, the Belgian is said to be keeping his options open.
Kovacic, who is on loan at Stamford Bridge from Real, insisted that Hazard is fully focused on Chelsea and admitted he was surprised by how good his teammate is.
He said: For me, he is an incredible player. I did not know he was that good and he can easily be one of the two or three best players in the world.
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He asked me how it was there (at Real) but we are looking forward to having a great season together, to be fully concentrated on Chelsea.
He is focused a lot on doing great things with Chelsea.
More: Football
Hazard has made no secret of his admiration for Real Madrid in the past, stating that they are the best club in the world as recently as October and admitting that it his dream to play for them.
If he were to make the move to the Spanish capital, he would link up with his international colleague Thibaut Courtois who made the move from Chelsea to Real in August.
Hazard has been one of the standout performers in the Premier League this season, scoring eight goals and registering nine assists in 17 matches for Maurizio Sarris side.
As for Kovacic, his future is also unclear as there is no purchase option in his loan contract with Chelsea which is set to expire at the end of the season.
The World Cup finalist hinted that hed be open to staying with Chelsea beyond the loan agreement, though, saying: I need to respect my previous club, Real Madrid.
I can imagine myself staying here, but I have a contract I need to respect, and that is what I will do.
More: Chelsea FC
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Mateo Kovacic has revealed that Eden Hazard has asked him how things are at Real Madrid amid speculation over his future with Chelsea.
The 27-year-old has been strongly linked with a move to Real Madrid in the summer with his contract at Chelsea set to expire in 2020.
Although Chelsea are desperate to keep Hazard beyond then and are prepared to make him their highest paid player in history, the Belgian is said to be keeping his options open.
Kovacic, who is on loan at Stamford Bridge from Real, insisted that Hazard is fully focused on Chelsea and admitted he was surprised by how good his teammate is.
He said: For me, he is an incredible player. I did not know he was that good and he can easily be one of the two or three best players in the world.
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He asked me how it was there (at Real) but we are looking forward to having a great season together, to be fully concentrated on Chelsea.
He is focused a lot on doing great things with Chelsea.
More: Football
Hazard has made no secret of his admiration for Real Madrid in the past, stating that they are the best club in the world as recently as October and admitting that it his dream to play for them.
If he were to make the move to the Spanish capital, he would link up with his international colleague Thibaut Courtois who made the move from Chelsea to Real in August.
Hazard has been one of the standout performers in the Premier League this season, scoring eight goals and registering nine assists in 17 matches for Maurizio Sarris side.
As for Kovacic, his future is also unclear as there is no purchase option in his loan contract with Chelsea which is set to expire at the end of the season.
The World Cup finalist hinted that hed be open to staying with Chelsea beyond the loan agreement, though, saying: I need to respect my previous club, Real Madrid.
I can imagine myself staying here, but I have a contract I need to respect, and that is what I will do.
More: Chelsea FC
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